And She Was Gone
by WifeOfSatan
Summary: One hope of love, gone. How will it end for Severus? Complete. 1st writer
1. And She Was Gone

And she was gone  
  
***Disclaimer: Anything you recognise as JK Rowling's, Microsoft Word didn't recognise at all, therefore it is also not mine (***  
  
Silently, he stood, staring out into the darkness of the forbidden forest. The howling gale only added to his already fearless stature, his robes whipping around him as he stood. The astronomy tower was the one place where he could be himself, be at one with the world, but it was a world of darkness and loneliness. And she was gone.  
  
Before that night he had hidden his loneliness behind his temper knowing that if he was to open himself up, he would be no use to anyone in the fight against the Dark Lord, and people had stayed away from him, making his task easier. That night he had been given hope of love only to have it so cruelly snuffed out as soon as it lit. These days he vented his anger over the injustice of it all through his temper. Understandably, no one noticed the difference.  
  
As the wind raged on, he thought he saw movement at the edge of the forest. He tried to get a better look, but if something had been there before, it was gone. Severus sighed. The movement had triggered his memory of that night and as his only comfort, he let it play on. Perhaps it was masochistic, but he couldn't hurt anymore than he already did. 


	2. Memory of the night

***Severus' memory***  
  
The darkness was chilling, but the night air was still. The trees of the forbidden forest were suffocating, creating shadows that tried to trick him at every turn. All the Hogwarts' staff were out in the forest after his lead had told them an attack was planned for tonight, and the meeting place was here.  
  
It was two years after the trio's graduation and they were three of the best aurors in the world. Albus had owled them immediately for assistance, but so far there had been no sign of that Potter, Weasley or Granger. Neither, was there any sign of death eaters, let alone the Dark Lord himself.  
  
A chill ran through him as a shadow stepped out from behind a tree. He recognised it to be the Dark Lord. Immediately he bowed to show his loyalty as a death eater. The Dark Lord's voice rumbled low but vicious, "Severus, you mock me with your bow, with wizards running amuck in the woods looking for me. Stand up and be the traitor you are."  
  
Severus paled and slowly straightened his back to come face to face with two red eyes, bloodshot with anger. "You have to the count of three to run Severus." the voice rumbled, menacingly. The Dark Lord had always loved to play with his victims first. Severus stumbled backwards and tripped over a tree root. Instantly, he was hit with curses, one following another. He felt the searing pain tear through him, threatening to make him blackout, all the while he could hear him laughing.  
  
He hadn't heard them apparate in, but he did hear the Dark Lord's final curse. As the Avada Kevada curse flew at him, he saw her running towards him. As the blackness overthrew him, he heard her scream and the blood- curdling scream of the Dark lord soon followed.  
  
***End Memory***  
  
Severus found himself curled up on the floor of the tower, covered in sweat, or was it tears? 


	3. Memory of the day

***Severus' Memory***  
  
He had woken up three weeks later with a feeling of hope, a feeling that someone accepted him for who he was. Albus was waiting for him with a box of lemon sherbets and a new bottle of Fire Whiskey. He looked as though his emotions could tear him apart at any moment, the twinkle in his eyes flickered unsure of whether it was meant to die or not.  
  
Severus had looked at the old man for a while trying to work out the answers to all his own questions. The mixture of emotions made it too hard for even Severus, a man adept at reading people's emotions. Sighing he asked for the good news first, in hope he wanted to know she was ok, though part of him knew it was false hope. Albus smiled thinly and as the twinkle glistened, "Voldemort has been beaten once and for all Severus. Our mission was a success, all thanks to you. You are no longer a spy, you are a free man, apart from still being my Potions master", he wanly chuckled. Severus knew better than to ask, but he had to know, he had changed since that night.  
  
Severus saw Albus' face fall before he had even asked about her. "She's gone, Severus. She's gone." The twinkle returned to Albus' eyes, but it was just tears threatening to fall. Severus felt his new world collapse and he hit his pillow in rage.  
  
***End Memory*** 


	4. Hope Fades

He didn't have the energy to stand up against the howling gale that was now ensuing. Instead he remained curled up and thought about the last few months without her. He'd tried to get his life back to normal, or as normal as it could be, now that there were no death eater functions to attend, no dark mark callings. In fact, he felt a little lost, so he had thrown himself into his potions and his teaching.  
  
There had been times that he had thought about her so much that he had begun to imagine that she was still alive. He had been in the potions shop in Hogsmeade buying new bottles and ingredients, just a week after he had woken, and thought she had been standing amongst the shelves near the back. He was about to go and take a closer look but quickly berated himself for being stupid and weak. He had left the shop without a further thought on the matter.  
  
Weeks passed and he kept catching glances of women who reminded him of her, or at least what he could remember of her. He hadn't paid that much attention to the appearance of the bushy haired know-it-all in her school days. Mostly he remembered her intellect, not something that was easily recognisable upon passing. Not that it would have been there anyway, he scolded himself. It was so hard to admit that she was gone.  
  
School was due to start in three days time and he didn't know if he could do it again. He lay there on the cold stone feeling increasingly bitter of his life. 


	5. And He Was Gone

Severus was woken by the feeling of a warm hand on his shoulder, urging him to wake. Blearily, he opened his eyes to see Albus smiling kindly at him. "It is time, Severus", he soothed. 'Time for what?' Severus wondered. When he had sat up, his cloak wrapped around him for warmth, Albus handed him a cup of warm cocoa that he accepted blandly.  
  
Albus handed him a turn turner, not any one, but Minerva's, the one that Hermione had used in the third year. He felt the sorrow and frustration building inside him, "Why do you torture me?!" he shook with fear and cold. Albus, simply smiled, "It is time for you to do what you must do Severus." Sensing his confusion he continued, "If you want to see how this should end, you must go back for her, but you must be careful as you can change what has already happened with one wrong move."  
  
Severus suddenly understood what he was being told; he was being given his one chance of happiness. He stood, newly filled with strength, though he couldn't be sure that the cocoa hadn't be spiked.  
  
Striding towards the exact spot where it happened, Severus drew out his wand and spun the time turner. Days, weeks, months passed until he saw what he wanted. Abruptly he stopped the turner and tiptoed into the shadows. From here he saw it all, he saw the Dark Lord, himself stumbling backwards. This time he heard the pop of her apparating and he saw her face, full of love and determination, fear and bravery, as she ran forwards to save his life. At the same time he too ran forward, seeing himself blackout, he lifted his wand to deflect the killing curse. It bounced with vigour as Hermione tripped over another tree root, screaming as she fell. He caught her in his arms as the curse hit The Dark Lord, turning him to dust.  
  
Panting, he let Hermione down gently on the floor. He saw the surprise and confusion in her eyes, and before she could say anything, ask anything, he said quietly, "Let me be. We will have our time, but the time must wait, otherwise you will die instead of sitting here." And with that, he was gone. 


	6. Hope Fades Away

Severus ran back to the castle as fast as his legs would carry him. There were no students about for it to ruin his reputation and he was desperate to find out if she was waiting for him.  
  
He ran to his chambers but they were empty, obviously, because there was no way that she would have been able to get past his wards. He ran to Albus' office and screamed at the gargoyle until Albus came down to see what the racket was.  
  
Soon, Severus was perched impatiently on a lounge chair, sucking absent- mindedly on a lemon sherbet. He had accepted anything to speed Albus up; he needed to know where she was. The news nearly made him choke on the sherbet lemon. "Severus, I'm afraid that I don't know where she is at the moment, she disappeared that night." The words hit him like a lead glove. She was gone, had he got it wrong? Was it a foolish act on her part and now she regretted it? Had she fled from him? Gutted, he returned to his chambers to drink a fresh bottle of Fire Whiskey. 


	7. The Great Hall

The next few days drifted by quickly as preparations took up most of his time. Soon it was the first night dinner and with all the usual staff in place the new students flooded into the hall for sorting. Severus took little interest in the performance of the irritating hat. Its intrigue lost its sparkle after the fourteenth time. Once all the students had been sorted Albus stood up to make his usual speech. A happier one now, with the discontinued threat of Voldemort, but it was the announcement of the new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher that made Severus pay attention. He wondered what idiot would be taking the place this time.  
  
At that moment, Albus smiled, and the doors to the great hall swung wide. In strode a woman with curly brown hair, swinging around her shoulders, her red and gold robes swirling around her. It was an entrance that even he was envious of.  
  
It was then that he looked at her face, and she was looking right back at him, her eyes twinkling with adoration and respect. He felt his world start afresh and leaning on the table so as not to collapse, he stood up and started clapping her arrival.  
  
The whole school, stunned for a moment by Snape's reaction, soon joined in the applause. Blushing, Hermione walked up the steps on to the stage, and Albus conjured her a seat to Severus' right. Severus caught Albus' eye, giving him a glare intending to transmit his anger at Albus' ambiguity about her whereabouts; all he got back was a small shrug and twinkle of the eye.  
  
As they all sat down to eat, Hermione took his hand under the table and squeezed it. "Thank you," she said quietly, looking straight into his eyes, her look meaning more than words. He simply nodded. Questions flew into his mind, all threatening to spill out at once, but she had the first words, "I'm sorry," she whispered, staring at her food, "I couldn't stay away, not for this long." His questions had been answered; it had been her, all those times when he thought he'd been imagining it. He returned the squeeze on her hand, "thank you." 


	8. Reviews

Reviews:  
  
Akasha Ravensong: all what times argh! *cries* lol is this going to be continued or is it a one shot?!?! please continue! Blessed Be ^_^  
  
re: It is just a one shot story, all complete! I'm glad you liked it. I added a bit to the confusing bit, so I hope that helps!  
  
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Ripper de la Blackstaff: Sad... but beautiful  
  
Re: Thank you, but kinda happy at the end, I hope.  
  
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Miyu-DeSang: I like how you portray this story.  
  
Re: thank you, I like to take a slightly less soppy approach, as it would be awful coming from me (  
  
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magicstaro: nice, short (at least compared to the other stuff i read), and sweet :) pretty good for a first time writer...i couldn't tell at all you could have said you were a professional lol and you probably want a well rounded critique... um i like the imagery like the 'robes swirling around her' and stuff... nothing i don't like (well if i don't like it i won't be reading it and reviewing) ugh i'm so tired sori can't come up with something better to say but i'm too tired  
  
Re: Thanks for that ( Well rounded indeed, perhaps time to take a break from reading and get some sleep? I know, I suffer the same... 


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